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North Korean soldier crosses MDL in 1st military defection under Lee administration

Published: 24 Oct. 2025, 08:09 Updated: 24 Oct. 2025, 13:35

A North Korean soldier stands outside a guard post near the border in Paju, Gyeonggi, on Oct. 16, 2024. [NEWS1]

A North Korean soldier crossed the heavily fortified border into South Korea on foot on Oct. 19, and several armed North Korean troops breached the military demarcation line (MDL) that same day in what appeared to be a tense pursuit, South Korean military sources said on Thursday.

South Korean soldiers identified the defector near a thicket by the MDL and tracked his movement with thermal imaging equipment and other surveillance tools, according to military sources.

The soldiers guided him into custody minutes later. The border-crosser wore a North Korean military uniform, was unarmed, raised his hands and said he came to defect to the South. This marks the first known military defection under the Lee Jae Myung administration.

Although the North has installed triple-layer fences and buried land mines near the border, the South Korean military assessed that the defector did not take part in those fortification efforts.

The defector is speculated to have fled from a frontline unit or guard post. At almost the same time, South Korean forces observed fewer than 10 North Korean troops searching around their guard post on the northern side of the MDL.

Later in the afternoon, between 2 p.m. and 3 p.m., South Korean forces detected several armed North Korean soldiers south of the MDL.

A soldier stands at a North Korean military guard post flying a national flag, as seen from Paju, Gyeonggi, on June 26, 2024. [AP/YONHAP]

The group appeared to be a chase team sent after the defector. The South Korean military issued warning broadcasts and fired warning shots in accordance with standard procedure. The armed group reportedly got as close as about 200 meters (656 feet) to a South Korean guard post before retreating northward. The South's military has not issued further details regarding this incident.

The exact point where the armed team crossed the MDL remains unclear. The terrain in the area features dense vegetation and rugged contours that complicate surveillance.

Another group of about 10 armed North Korean soldiers crossed the MDL in Gangwon on April 8 along the same line of contact. At the time, the Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said they had tracked the group from the northern side and issued a warning broadcast as soon as the crossing occurred.

A JCS official said the forces “responded according to procedure” but declined to release further details due to operational security concerns.

Observers say the breach reflects North Korea's intensified efforts to track down defectors after North Korean leader Kim Jong‑un declared South Korea a “hostile state.”

Pyongyang has also strengthened border fortifications and surveillance along both the land frontier and the North‑China border.

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY LEE YU-JUNG, SHIM SEOK-YONG [[email protected]]